May 2020 Afghanistan attacks

May 2020 Afghanistan attacks
May 2020 Afghanistan attacks
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
	Kabul Kuz Kunar Gardez Ghazni Mezana Kunduz Charikar Khost Khwaja Bahauddin Alishing Firozkoh Grishk Khairkot Kandahar Zari Farah May 2020 Afghanistan attacks (Afghanistan)
Location	Zari, Balkh; Grishk, Helmand; Khairkot, Paktika; Kandahar; Khost; Alishing, Laghman; Kabul; Kuz Kunar, Nangarhar; Gardez, Paktia; Firozkoh, Ghor; Ghazni; Mezana, Zabul; Kunduz; Charikar, Parwan; Khwaja Bahauddin, Takhar; Farah
Date	May 2020
Attack type	Mass shooting, grenades (Kabul hospital); Suicide bombing (Kuz Kunar funeral); Suicide truck bombing (Grishk, Gardez); Suicide Humvee bombing (Ghazni); Gunfight (Zari, Alishing, Firozkoh, Ahmad Aba, Mes Aynak, Khwaja Bahauddin, Farah, Dand Aw Patan); Motorbike bombing (Mihtarlam); Hand grenade throwing (Khairkot); Roadside IED explosion (northern Kabul, Nadir Shah Kot, Khost, Mezana, Kabul bus); Assassination (Kandahar); Mass shooting, torching of bodies (Jaghatū); Motorbike bombing, gunfight (Kunduz); Mass shooting (Charikar, Sabari); Torching of checkpoint, gunfight (Ghorband)
Deaths	Zari: 13; Mihtarlam: 3; Grishk: 7 (+1); Kandahar: 1; Nadir Shah Kot, Khost: 3; Alishing: 27; Kabul hospital: 24 (+3); Kuz Kunar funeral: 32 (+1); Gardez: 5 (+1); Firozkoh: 3; Ahmad Aba, Paktia: 8 (+9); Mes Aynak: 8; Ghazni: 9 (+1); Jaghatū, Ghazni: 5; Mezana: 4; Kunduz: 13 (+10); Charikar: 11; Sabari, Khost: 3; Khwaja Bahauddin: 9; Ghorband, Parwan: 7 (+1); Farah: 7 (+8); Dand Aw Patan, Paktia: 14 (+2); Kabul bus: 2; Total: 218 (+37)
Injured	17 (Zari); 4 (Mihtarlam); 12 (Grishk); 20 (Khairkot); 4 (Northern Kabul); 1 (Nadir Shah Kot); 15 (Kabul hospital); 133 (Kuz Kunar funeral); 29 (Gardez); 9 (Ahmad Aba); 6 (Khost); 5 (Mes Aynak); 40 (Ghazni); 9 (Mezana); 73 (Kunduz); 16 (Charikar); 1 (Sabari); 6 (Khwaja Bahauddin); 1 (Ghorband); 3 (Dand Aw Patan); 7 (Kabul bus); Total: 411
Perpetrators	Unknown (Mihtarlam, northern Kabul, Kandahar, Kabul hospital, Khost, Jaghatū, Mezana, Charikar, Sabari); ISIL–KP (Kuz Kunar funeral, Kabul bus); Taliban (Zari, Grishk, Khairkot, Nadir Shah Kot, Alishing, Gardez, Firozkoh, Ahmad Aba, Mes Aynak, Ghazni, Kunduz, Khwaja Bahauddin, Ghorband, Farah, Dand Aw Patan)

In May 2020, a series of insurgent attacks took place in Afghanistan, starting when the Taliban killed 20 Afghan soldiers and wounded 29 others in Zari, Balkh and Grishk, Helmand on 1 and 3 May, respectively.^[3]^[4] On 12 May, a hospital's maternity ward in Kabul and a funeral in Kuz Kunar (Khewa), Nangarhar were attacked, resulting in the deaths of 56 people and injuries of 148 others, including newborn babies, mothers, nurses, and mourners.^[5]^[6]^[2] ISIL–KP claimed responsibility for the funeral bombing, but no insurgent group claimed responsibility for the hospital shooting.

The Afghan government blamed the Taliban as the main perpetrators behind the 12 May attacks,^[7] and immediately ordered the military to resume its offensives against the Taliban and other insurgent groups. The Taliban, however, denied involvement. The U.S. government said that ISIL–KP conducted the 12 May attacks, not the Taliban, but this assertion was rejected by Afghan officials.^[8]

The Taliban announced that it would conduct revenge attacks against the Afghan government for blaming it for the 12 May attacks, and conducted suicide bombings in Gardez and Ghazni, which killed nine intelligence personnel and five civilians, and wounded 69 others. The Taliban then attempted to capture Kunduz, attacking several government posts in the city during which eight soldiers, four civilians, and a policeman were killed, and 73 others were injured. The Taliban attack on Kunduz was repelled by the Afghan security forces.

^ ^a ^b "Afghan attack: Maternity ward death toll climbs to 24". BBC. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
^ ^a ^b "Afghanistan: Deadly suicide attack targets funeral in Nangarhar". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
^ Cite error: The named reference bal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference vo1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Dozens dead as mothers, infants and mourners targeted in Afghanistan". Gulf News.
^ "Afghan attack: Babies killed as gunmen storm Kabul maternity ward". BBC News. May 12, 2020.
^ "Govt Blames Taliban for Attacks, Taliban Denies Involvement". TOLOnews. May 13, 2020.
^ Shalizi, Hamid; Sediqi, Abdul Qadir; Peshimam, Gibran (2020-05-15). Birsel, Robert (ed.). "Afghans say Taliban behind bloodshed, reject U.S. blame of Islamic State". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-07-09.

[bbc2-1] "Afghan attack: Maternity ward death toll climbs to 24". BBC. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-13.

[A-2] "Afghanistan: Deadly suicide attack targets funeral in Nangarhar". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2020-05-13.

[bal-3] Cite error: The named reference bal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[vo1-4] Cite error: The named reference vo1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[G-5] "Dozens dead as mothers, infants and mourners targeted in Afghanistan". Gulf News.

[B-6] "Afghan attack: Babies killed as gunmen storm Kabul maternity ward". BBC News. May 12, 2020.

[tln-7] "Govt Blames Taliban for Attacks, Taliban Denies Involvement". TOLOnews. May 13, 2020.

[reu-8] Shalizi, Hamid; Sediqi, Abdul Qadir; Peshimam, Gibran (2020-05-15). Birsel, Robert (ed.). "Afghans say Taliban behind bloodshed, reject U.S. blame of Islamic State". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-07-09.

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May 2020 Afghanistan attacks
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Kabul Kuz Kunar Gardez Ghazni Mezana Kunduz Charikar Khost Khwaja Bahauddin Alishing Firozkoh Grishk Khairkot Kandahar Zari Farah May 2020 Afghanistan attacks (Afghanistan)
Location	Zari, Balkh Grishk, Helmand Khairkot, Paktika Kandahar Khost Alishing, Laghman Kabul Kuz Kunar, Nangarhar Gardez, Paktia Firozkoh, Ghor Ghazni Mezana, Zabul Kunduz Charikar, Parwan Khwaja Bahauddin, Takhar Farah
Date	May 2020
Attack type	Mass shooting, grenades (Kabul hospital) Suicide bombing (Kuz Kunar funeral) Suicide truck bombing (Grishk, Gardez) Suicide Humvee bombing (Ghazni) Gunfight (Zari, Alishing, Firozkoh, Ahmad Aba, Mes Aynak, Khwaja Bahauddin, Farah, Dand Aw Patan) Motorbike bombing (Mihtarlam) Hand grenade throwing (Khairkot) Roadside IED explosion (northern Kabul, Nadir Shah Kot, Khost, Mezana, Kabul bus) Assassination (Kandahar) Mass shooting, torching of bodies (Jaghatū) Motorbike bombing, gunfight (Kunduz) Mass shooting (Charikar, Sabari) Torching of checkpoint, gunfight (Ghorband)
Deaths	Zari: 13 Mihtarlam: 3 Grishk: 7 (+1) Kandahar: 1 Nadir Shah Kot, Khost: 3 Alishing: 27 Kabul hospital: 24 (+3) Kuz Kunar funeral: 32 (+1) Gardez: 5 (+1) Firozkoh: 3 Ahmad Aba, Paktia: 8 (+9) Mes Aynak: 8 Ghazni: 9 (+1) Jaghatū, Ghazni: 5 Mezana: 4 Kunduz: 13 (+10) Charikar: 11 Sabari, Khost: 3 Khwaja Bahauddin: 9 Ghorband, Parwan: 7 (+1) Farah: 7 (+8) Dand Aw Patan, Paktia: 14 (+2) Kabul bus: 2 Total: 218 (+37)^[1]
Injured	17 (Zari) 4 (Mihtarlam) 12 (Grishk) 20 (Khairkot) 4 (Northern Kabul) 1 (Nadir Shah Kot) 15 (Kabul hospital) 133 (Kuz Kunar funeral) 29 (Gardez) 9 (Ahmad Aba) 6 (Khost) 5 (Mes Aynak) 40 (Ghazni) 9 (Mezana) 73 (Kunduz) 16 (Charikar) 1 (Sabari) 6 (Khwaja Bahauddin) 1 (Ghorband) 3 (Dand Aw Patan) 7 (Kabul bus) Total: 411^[1]
Perpetrators	Unknown (Mihtarlam, northern Kabul, Kandahar, Kabul hospital, Khost, Jaghatū, Mezana, Charikar, Sabari) ISIL–KP (Kuz Kunar funeral, Kabul bus)^[2] Taliban (Zari, Grishk, Khairkot, Nadir Shah Kot, Alishing, Gardez, Firozkoh, Ahmad Aba, Mes Aynak, Ghazni, Kunduz, Khwaja Bahauddin, Ghorband, Farah, Dand Aw Patan)